Now Is the Time

I’ve been at the Mount long enough to look forward to our Advent rituals. The vigil of the first Sunday of Advent signals that we are entering a sacred season: a fragrant evergreen wreath greets us, and candles are brought from the four corners of the chapel and blessed. Three cantors join in exquisite harmony to lead us in an invitatory prayer. Evocative songs warm the heart like good friends who only visit once a year. We reflect on themes of light, waiting, trust, and stillness.

These Advent rituals remind me of a line by the Persian poet Hafiz: “Now is the time to know that all you do is sacred.” Is time during Advent more sacred than time during other seasons of the year? Surely not; it just feels that way because we heighten our attention to God’s presence in the earth and in our lives through song, word, silence, and symbol.

If we can make Advent a sacred time, we can make all we do sacred through attention, reverence, and gratitude — even tasks we consider mundane, such as dealing with paperwork, cleaning bathrooms, and running errands. This is the way of Celtic spirituality, as Esther de Waal notes in her book Every Earthly Blessing:

“Every moment of the day, every activity becomes a way to God…. A thing is done well not only for itself but because of the part that that plays in God’s world…. Celtic spirituality is deeply incarnational. It is through God’s world, in its totality, however mundane and down to earth, that God reveals himself. So the Celtic way of seeing the world is infused with the sense of the all-pervading presence of God. This is God’s world, a world to be claimed, affirmed, and honored.”

Advent is the time of year when we are most aware of God’s incarnation in us (we, who are made in God’s image) and in our world. However, all our time will be blessed if we intentionally practice an incarnational spirituality throughout the year. Remember the wisdom of Hafiz: Now is the time to know that all you do is sacred.